Andrea Bargnani Says He’s Not Bothered By Trade Rumors

As the Toronto Raptors’ season continues to spiral down the drain, with frustrations mounting, there’s increased trade chatter. Embattled forward Andrea Bargnani says it’s an inescapable part of the job. Per the Toronto Sun: “No, of course it doesn’t affect me, but I think it does make sense on this team,’ he said. ‘Who else would you blame? I don’t really know what you want me to answer.’ Even the trade rumours, the kind that keep popping up, the kind that can mess with a player’s head aren’t having any impact on him. ‘Of course I hear the trade rumours,’ he said. ‘But trades are part of the job. Since the first day I joined this team seven years ago, I knew I could be traded. That’s the reality. From Day 1 you know that can happen at any time.’ In Bargnani’s almost Spock-like logical world, there is no point in letting something that has always been a distinct possibility affect him one way or the other, and there’s certainly no point in getting oneself prepared for such an eventuality. ‘It’s something you don’t control, so there’s no purpose in being prepared for it or getting prepared for it,’ he said. ‘The only thing you really care about is trying to play good for yourself and for the team. That’s what you have to prepare for. A trade? Be prepared or not prepared, it doesn’t make you a better player or a worse player. If it’s going to happen, it happens. If it doesn’t, I mean it’s not something you really think about, at least I don’t think about it. Maybe you have more chance of being traded when you’re playing good, right? Because your value is up … I don’t panic, honestly. So all these rumours and the talking? What does thinking about rumours get you at the end of the day?’”